BBC 17 October 2010 Last updated at 07:36 ET
Channel Tunnel in German high-speed train test
The German railway, Deutsche Bahn, says it has held its first test of a high-speed train carrying passengers in the Channel Tunnel.
Currently only Eurostar is allowed to operate on the route but the German firm is keen to widen competition.
Eurostar is a subsidiary of railway operators in the UK, France and Belgium but the German railway has asked repeatedly for access to the tunnel.
It has said it hopes to run services to Frankfurt and Cologne within the next three years.
Deutsche Bahn sent one of its ICE-3 trains into the tunnel for the first time last week - but Saturday night's test was the first with some passengers.
Trains passing through the tunnel have to be long enough to allow people anywhere on board to be able to reach emergency exits in the tunnel.
Rolling stock row
The firm is also interested in expanding its network elsewhere in Europe, including a possible service from Frankfurt to Lyon and Marseille in southern France, but has met resistance from the French national railway SNCF.
France has also objected to Eurostar's recent announcement that it was ordering new trains worth more than £700m from German firm Siemens.
France had been pressing for the new trains to be built by French firm Alstom . On Thursday, France's transport minister insisted the order was null and void, saying only rolling stock made by Alstom met safety standards.
Earlier this year, Deutsche Bahn bought British company Arriva, which operates buses and trains across 12 European countries. It also runs Chiltern Railways and rail freight services in the UK.
Channel Tunnel in German high-speed train test
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Re: Channel Tunnel in German high-speed train test
Also see video of ICE at St Pancras here
High speed rail in Britain enters new era as ICE prepares to start service
German operator DB plans to eat into airlines' market share with routes from 2013 including Frankfurt, Cologne and Amsterdam
* Dan Milmo
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 19 October 2010 20.16 BST
Rail passengers will be able to travel direct from London to Germany and the Netherlands from 2013 under plans unveiled by Germany's state rail company today after it completed a dry run through the Channel tunnel.
Deutsche Bahn is taking on Eurostar, which operates services to Paris and Brussels, by preparing to run 200mph trains from the capital to Frankfurt, Cologne, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The company offered travellers a glimpse of the new entrant by bringing a state-of-the-art Intercity-Express (ICE) train into St Pancras station yesterday following safety tests under the tunnel involving 300 volunteers.
"The new services to London are not only a milestone for us. They are a milestone for the entire European railway sector," said DB's chairman, Dr Rüdiger Grube.
Theresa Villiers, the transport minister, said she expected the service to grab market share from airlines operating the same routes, following the example of Eurostar, which now controls three-quarters of the air-rail market between London and the French and Belgian capitals, carrying 9 million passengers annually.
"The experience of high-speed rail across the rest of Europe shows that these services are really attractive for a lot of people and will take a lot of share from the airline market."
However, new safety tests will be needed before DB officially launches the service because it plans to use an updated version of the ICE model.
DB said it would run three return journeys a day, with trains from London splitting at Brussels to reach Amsterdam or Frankfurt. DB said it expected the journey from London to Frankfurt to last just over five hours, with both London to Cologne and London to Amsterdam taking four hours.
Villiers admitted that some of the journey times were a little outside the four-hour envelope that rail executives normally cite as a precondition for competing with airlines, but said DB's plans were "really positive" for Britain's burgeoning high-speed rail market. "The journey times are slightly longer but I believe that DB has got a good project here."
High speed rail in Britain enters new era as ICE prepares to start service
German operator DB plans to eat into airlines' market share with routes from 2013 including Frankfurt, Cologne and Amsterdam
* Dan Milmo
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 19 October 2010 20.16 BST
Rail passengers will be able to travel direct from London to Germany and the Netherlands from 2013 under plans unveiled by Germany's state rail company today after it completed a dry run through the Channel tunnel.
Deutsche Bahn is taking on Eurostar, which operates services to Paris and Brussels, by preparing to run 200mph trains from the capital to Frankfurt, Cologne, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The company offered travellers a glimpse of the new entrant by bringing a state-of-the-art Intercity-Express (ICE) train into St Pancras station yesterday following safety tests under the tunnel involving 300 volunteers.
"The new services to London are not only a milestone for us. They are a milestone for the entire European railway sector," said DB's chairman, Dr Rüdiger Grube.
Theresa Villiers, the transport minister, said she expected the service to grab market share from airlines operating the same routes, following the example of Eurostar, which now controls three-quarters of the air-rail market between London and the French and Belgian capitals, carrying 9 million passengers annually.
"The experience of high-speed rail across the rest of Europe shows that these services are really attractive for a lot of people and will take a lot of share from the airline market."
However, new safety tests will be needed before DB officially launches the service because it plans to use an updated version of the ICE model.
DB said it would run three return journeys a day, with trains from London splitting at Brussels to reach Amsterdam or Frankfurt. DB said it expected the journey from London to Frankfurt to last just over five hours, with both London to Cologne and London to Amsterdam taking four hours.
Villiers admitted that some of the journey times were a little outside the four-hour envelope that rail executives normally cite as a precondition for competing with airlines, but said DB's plans were "really positive" for Britain's burgeoning high-speed rail market. "The journey times are slightly longer but I believe that DB has got a good project here."
